Who’s up for some time-travel shenanigans? Let’s talk about Mark Millar and Sean Murphy’s Chrononauts.
When Corbin Quinn invents time-travel, he and his best science buddy Danny Reilly become the world’s first time explorers. And that’s when the shenanigans come into play. Chrononauts hops all over the past in what is, at its core, a buddy road trip comedy. Beneath that humor, there lies regret over a life spent working too hard and letting loved ones fall by the wayside. When you have finished your life’s work, it asks, what else is there to live for?
But I promise, it is more funny than it is sad. And it has one of my favorite chase scenes ever.
Sean Murphy handles line-art duties here, and his style manages to be both architectural and sketchy at the same time. Forms and structures have clear definition; yet fine, irregular lines form fills and shadows, dirt and scuffs. Murphy’s worlds feel concrete and lived-in, and Chrononauts is no exception. Matt Hollingsworth’s color work in this book relies on subtlety to accentuate texture, reinforce depth, and provide a sense of light when needed.
If you’ve heard us talk about Mark Millar’s work on Panelology, you know I tend to enjoy it. Chrononauts feels much less tense than some of his other books, even if it shares the undercurrent loss that often comes with Millar’s comics. Still, it is a fun, quick-paced read, and a pretty safe bet if the idea of a time-travel buddy comedy interests to you.
Collected in
- Chrononauts (#1-4)
Credits
Writer: Mark Millar | Artist: Sean Gordon Murphy | Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth | Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos